A simple co-grinding treatment with fructose is introduced for the efficient and scalable preparation of g-C3N4 nanoplates. The results revealed that these g-C3N4 nanoplates still preserved the basic framework of carbon nitride and even displayed superior morphological properties and electronic structures. With respect to the pristine carbon nitride, the few-layered g-C3N4 impressively demonstrated an enhanced photocatalytic activity towards hydrogen generation and the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light illumination, emphasizing the vital roles of the morphology and electronic structures on the photocatalytic performance. This study provided sustainable and cost-effective tactics for the delamination of g-C3N4 for efficient energy conversion. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.